Darkness Falls
by PyRoMaNiAc2008
Summary: When a drained corpse is found stripped of its skin, the case gets bumped to Booth and Brennan. Secrets are told and romance blooms. And part of Booth's dark past that is best left forgotten is revealed. The apocolypse is looming once again. BB,HA,Spuffy
1. Preface

The man watched the FBI techs comb the apartment across from his. He stood in his hallway as the men and women parted to  
allow a couple to access the grisly scene. He ran a hand through his blond hair and regretted calling the police when he had  
smelled the blood coming from across the hall. Normally that wouldn't worry him, but the lack of heartbeat that usually was pounding away  
did. But now, seeing the dark hair agent stride confidently down the hall made him regret his actions. Sighing he stared at the man, he hadn't  
thought he would ever see that face again. He turned away from the scene with a curse. His life was coming back to bite him in the ass. Time  
to call the wife......

* * *

Special Agent Seeley Booth strode down the hallway of the upperclass apartment building like he owned it. His partner was sulking behind him,  
not appreciating being drug from her lab and the work she had been hired to do. Booth flashed his badge at the cop gaurding the door and quickly  
pushed Brennan into the apartment. The techs immediatly back away from the body and allowed the doctor they were all a little bit scared of to  
start her job. The apartment smelled like death and Booth stayed as far away from the body as he could and still hear Bones, cursing his sensitive nose.

"What do we got Bones?" He called into the room where the body was laying, glancing quickly at his partner, who was kneeling beside the mess of bones  
and skin.

"Female. Late teens early twenties. No damage to the bones that I can tell here. I'll take another look back at the lab." She called back to him. Never once  
looking up from the body.

"Cause of death?"

"I'm not sure. Her flesh was stripped from her bones up to her shoulders and all major organs are missing. There isn't any obvious cause."

"Okay, I'll have them pack it all up and send it to the Jeffersonian." Booth said, waiting for Brennan to come out so they could leave the vile smelling  
apartment. When she didn't he called out to her. "Bones? You coming?"

"There are puncture marks on her neck. They seem to be located directly over her jugular."

At this Booth strode into the room, dissmissing the smell and knelt down next to Brennan, staring intently at the all to familiar marks on the womans neck.  
A bite. A bite he had see to many times in his long life. He glanced over at Brennan, he knew what she would fine when she tried to find out what killed  
this woman. Nothing. And he knew what they would find when the looked for the killer. Nothing. But his job required him to try. Looking from the body  
to Bones he sighed, he was about to drag her into a part of his life that was best forgotten. A part that had gotten his friends killed and put him number one on many hit lists. Booth knew his rational partner would never believe him if he was to tell her of this life. Most likely she would have him committed. Booth had no idea how he was going to presue a case that wasn't and keep Bones from finding out stuff he didn't want her to. But he knew he had to and he hoped and prayed that it would all go away. Yeah Right.

* * *

A sandy haired cop warily entered his apartment. He snorted at the panicked look the rookie had on his face. It wasn't his fault people were naturally wary of him. "Sir?" The boy called out, flinchign when he materialized from the shadows.

"Yes? What else does the goverment need from me today?" He said irritablly. He had already been questioned by several cops that had arrived on scene after he had called 911.

"Um, you need to go down to the Hoover building. The agent in charge of the case wants to speak with you." The boy stuttered out.

"And who exactly is the agent in charge of this case?" He hoped to what ever god would listen to him that it wasn't him.

"A Special Agent Seeley Booth."

Bugger....


	2. Old Friends

Booth stared into the two way mirror in shock. There, slouched in a chair, was a man that he had though he would never see again.  
Bones stood beside him, waiting to go into the interrigation room but he knew he couldn't let her go with him. What would be said in that  
room was for two people to hear. Him and the man he thought to be somewhere in Europe. "Bones, stay out here, I'm gonna talk to him alone."

"What? Why?" She asked in shock. They rarely did interrogations alone anymore, Brennan quickly becoming as good as Booth at it.

"Just trust me on this one, okay Bones?" He said. He knew what he was going to do once he got in the room would likely cause Bones to want to kill him and he had a feeling that she might possible try just that. " I need to speak with him alone."

She watched him warily as he let himself into the room, staring at the blonde man inside. Her eyes widened as she saw him lock the door, turn off the speaker that allowed her to hear the conversation then take out the ear piece that enabled her to talk to him. Effectively cutting all communication off between them. What the hell was Booth doing? She asked herself as she watched him quickly disable the camera, before pulling the blonde into a hug. Just who exaclty was this man anyway??

* * *

Booth locked the door behind him, keeping his eyes locked with the other mans. Quickly flicking off the speaker and removing the ear peice, he disabled the camera hidden in a corner, so the meeting would be private. He knew there would be hell to pay when Bones got a hold of him but no one at the FBI could hear this conversation. Turning back to the man he strode over to him and pulled him into a hug, pushing him back only when the blonde's return squeezee became too much on his human lungs.

"What the hell are you doing here Spike?" Booth asked when both were seated.

"Called in the body you and your lovely partner are investigating. Wished I hadn't now." Spike said with a sigh, running a hand through his loose curls. Booth looked him over, he looked like he was doing alright for himself, nice suit (Seeing Spike in something besides black or leather was kinda weird) gold wedding band on one finger and his blue eyes looked less haunted than the last time they had saw each other.

"That explains why your _here _but not why you're in DC. I though you were in Rome?"

"Was. But we both got tired of Europe and while neither of us wants to ever see California again, we wanted to come back to the states." Spike paused and looked hard at Booth, blue eyes staring into brown ones. "How you doin' Angel?"

Booth chuckled and ran a hand down his face "Haven't heard that name in a long time. I'm good, the Powers gave me a good life. A family."

Spike smiled "M'glad, if any of us deserved a second chance it was you." Spike had settled his differences with Angel not long after the two had escaped from LA barely intact. With Angel human and Spike still a vampire. Spike had seen how much happier being human had made his sire and before they had went their seperate ways he had let their turmblet past go and made peace with Angel.

"I take it Buffy took you back?" Booth asked. A small part of him that would always be Angel still loved the tiny slayer, but all of him knew that she belonged with Spike. When Spike left for Europe he had wished him luck and a happy life with her.

"Yeah, wasn't to happy at first, findin' out I'd been undead and kickin' for a while. Once the `plainations were done she barely let me out of `er sight. Claimed me that night and married me a week later. Still ponderin' `bout how she knew what a claim was."

Booth smiled at the look of pure happiness on Spike's face. Seeing a true smile from the blonde was something rare and Booth was glad that his former childe was finally happy with his life. He glanced down at the file between them and grimiced, he knew that Spike had nothing to do with the womans death but it was his job to question him. "The woman, did you know her?"

"Not really, Buffy did, watched 'er kids a few times."

"Kids?" There had been no childern at the apartment and no one had mentioned them either.

"Yeah, two. Twin girls. Buffy adored them. `Bout three years old. Are they alright? Didn't sense them there."

"They weren't there. Something was off about that apartment. I'm not a vamp anymore but I can still tell when something isn't right. And the way she was killed, I'd understand a vamp shredding the neck to hide the bite, but skinning her? Her neck wasn't even touched!" Booth hated it when nothing made sense about a case.

"Skinned?"

"Yeah, up to her shoulders. Organs gone too."

Spike frowned and glanced at Booth "Do you think I could see `er body?"

"You think you could tell anything?" He dreaded trying to convince Bones to let Spike into the lab.

"Might, always had a better nose than you."

"I can try, Bones-- my partner-- isn't exactly the sharing type when it comes to her bodies."

"Use that domineering 'tower over those lesser than me' thing."

"Bones would just deck me and give me a lecture about alpha male tendencies." Booth said with a chuckle. Bones would do exactly what he said. If she didn't kill him for this first.

Spike stood and stretched "Well lets get goin' then, think I'd like to met this Bones."

* * *

When Booth opened the door he was accosted by a very pissed off Brennan.

"What the hell was that Booth!? You lock me out the make sure I can't even hear you? What the hell could be so important that I can even hear about it?"

"Bones I asked you to trust me. I need you to continue trusting me. If I told you what was going on, you wouldn't believe me anyways. We're not gonna solve this the way we normally do."

"Why not? And Just who the hell is he?" She asked, pointing to Spike, who had wisely tried to hide himself behind Booth's broad shoulders when he had seen the fury in Brennan's grey eyes.

"He's an old friend. Lets go and I'll try to explain on the way to the lab."

"The lab? You're taking him to my lab??" Brennan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Booth was acting like a completely different person. The old friend of his looked at least ten years younger than Booth, and if he was a friend why wouldn't Booth let her in the interrogation room? Or go to such lenghts to keep their conversation private? Brennan didn't know what was going on with her partner, but she was sure as hell gonna find out.

Booth led them to his parked SUV and flinched at Brennan's glare when he asked her to ride in the back seat. He knew Bones had a habit of looking in the rear view mirror when they had someone tag along and he couldn't risk her looking back and not seeing Spike's reflection. As he pulled away from the Hoover building Booth breathed a sigh of relief. "Spike, I want you to get a hold of Buffy, have her come to the Jeffersonion. I want both of you to be here."

With Spike calling his wife Booth turned his attention to Brennan "Bones, there's alot about my life you don't know. Spike here is part of that. This case? Me and Spike have seen stuff like this before. You haven't. I know you don't like strangers in the lab but Spike and his wife know what we're dealing with. We won't get anywhere without their help."

Brennan's angry grey eyes stared back at him through the mirror, after minutes of silence Booth was beginning to think that Bones wouldn't relent and that they would be fighting through out this entire nightmare of a case. But she finally sighed in defeat and shrugged her shoulders "I guess I don't really have a choice. They'll have full access to whatever they need."

"Thank you Bones. I'll make this up to you, promise." He smiled at her. She gave a small smile back and Booth was glad she wasn't mad at him. Turning back to Spike, who had just gotten off his phone he asked "Get a hold of Buffy?"

"Yeah, said she'd meet us at the Jeffersonion. Glad to know you were ok." Spike said.

Booth wondered what all Spike had told Buffy when he'd finally gone to Europe. He made a mental note to ask him later. "You really didn't know I was in DC?" He asked suddenly.

"Really didn't. Knew you were somewhere on the east coast but I didn't have exact details. Before I came down to the Hoover building I looked you up. Quite the hero aren't you Peaches?" The old nickname made Spike grin and Booth roll his eyes. He had wondered when Spike would start calling him that again.

"Not a hero, just...good at my job."

"You've always been good at what you do haven't you?" Spike said, thinking of Booth's life as Angel, Angelus and Liam. All three had been good at something. Liam at drinking, Angelus at being evil and Angel at redemption. It wasn't a surprise that even as a human, his sire was still the best in his field.

Booth smiled tightly "Yeah." Glancing at Brennan to check if she had gleaned more out of their coversation than she needed to he asked "What did you tell Buffy?"

"Mean when I got to Europe?" At Booth's nod Spike sighed "Told her the truth, you were alive and well and had gotten what you had always wanted. She was happy for you." Spike's tone made Booth frown.

"You thought she'd want to get back with me didn't you?"

"At first." He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair "Was all ready to let her go again you know? But then she smiles, says she's happy for you and drags me to her room. Took all thoughts of you out of my head." They chuckled while Brennan looked on in confusion.

"This Buffy? She's a blonde isn't she?" The question made both men look at her in surprise

"What makes you think that?" Spike asked her.

"I've found that Booth has a inclination toward dating blondes, it makes sense that if Booth was with her at one point in time that she is a blonde."

Spike chuckled at the look of pure embarressment on Booth's face "Yeah she's blonde. And I noticed that too. Has a thing for blondes Peaches does. Has ever sense I first met him."

"Why do you call him Peaches?" Booth groaned at this question. if Brennan started asking Spike about him, he'd be ruined, Spike would tell her every idiotic thing he had done in his life.

Spike laughed hard at the panicked look on his face "Well you see, one night `bout three years after we met Peaches here came home completely drunk, his girl at the time, Darla had this new dress she'd got and well he took a liking to it. Somehow managed to get into it and came dancing out of their room. The dress was peach colored. Never let him live it down."

Brennan laughed as the image of Booth in a dress flitted through her mind, she didn't think she'd let him live it down either. She laughed harder at the look of complete embarrasment on his face "Did you really do that Booth?"

"In my defense I'd had just consumed an ungodly amount of Irish Whisky and couldn't be held accountable for my actions." This just made the two laugh harder. Booth remembered that Angelus had been pretty damn embarrassed when he had come to, with Darla standing over him, laughing at his state. Booth thanked God that they had arrived at the Jeffersonion and that they could get to work and hopefully Brennan would forget that paticular tale.

Grumbling, Booth exited the SUV, heading over to the silver Viper that Spike had stolen shortly after the last battle. Rapping on the window, he was greeted by a smile he hadn't see in almost five years. His arms were soon filled by a small blonde slayer "Buffy!"

Buffy smiled again and leaned in "What do I call you now?" She whispered so that only she, Booth and Spike could hear her.

"My name is Seeley Booth. Call me Seeley. Spike is back to Peaches."

"Well then Seeley I'm so glad to see you."


	3. The proof is in the Fangs

Brennan and Buffy stood outside Brennan's office in minor shock. Had Booth really just thrown them out? The two women looked at each other and sighed. "Any place we can sit down until they work this out. It might take awhile." Buffy asked Brennan. Brennan led her over to the benches down from her office and they sat down with matching thumps.

"Dr. Brennan, how much do you know about Seeley before he became your partner?" Buffy asked. She wanted to know how much damaged Spike had caused on his rant, and how much trouble Seeley was going to be it.

"Only what he's told me and what I've gotten from his file. He once said that when I was ready to hear about his past I could ask him, but when i did he didn't tell me much."

Buffy smiled softly at the confused doctor. She knew from experiance that Seeley was a very private person, and had never wanted to tell about his life as a vampire. When they were together he didn't even like drinking blood in front of her. "I'm not surprised. He's always been like that. Spike's known him longer than I have but from what I gather he doesn't like talking about himself."

"I noticed that. But what was all that talk about orders and why did Spike call Booth Angelus?"

"You caught that didn't you?" Bufy really had no idea how to explain way Seeley's vampiric name in a way Dr. Brennan would believe. So she settled for the easiest. "You probably need to ask Seeley that, after today he'll probably want to explain some things to you."

"Like his past with Spike and you?"

"Yeah. But you'll need to be opened minded thought. Some of the things he might say will sound pretty crazy. You seem like the type that needs proof to belive something.

How crazy could Booth's past be? Brennan thought. Both Buffy and Spike moved like something could jump out at them at any moment. And all three of them had the same haunted look in their eyes. Like they had seen the world end too many times. Brennan had no idea how right her thoughts were.....

They sat in silence until Booth and Spike came out of her office. Spike looking like a weight had been lifted from him and Booth looking like he had been given the death sentence. "Bones...I need to talk to you." He said hesentantly. She nodded and stood up, following him back into her office. Buffy and Spike looked at each other.

"Is he gonna tell her?"

"He's gonna try."

* * *

Booth fell onto her couch with a sigh. Brennan stood infront of him, arms crossed and ready for whatever Booth was gonna throw at her. "Are you going to tell me about your past?"

Booth chuckle humorlessly "How much did Buffy tell you?"

"Only to ask you...and to be openminded."

"That would be helpful." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Come over here, I don't want you towering over me."

She sat beside him and waited. Booth leaned back and began....

"Almost five years ago I lived in LA. I had nothing to do with the FBI and was working for a lawfirm called Wolfram and Hart. Spike was with me. I had a group of friends, Wes, Gunn and Fred. They were the only things keeping me sane at that time. Almost a year after I started at WRH there was a...well the media said it was a bomb....but it wasn't. It was a battle. Between me and my friends and the army of hell." He paused and looked over at Brennan.

"Booth you know how crazy you're starting to sound?"

"I can guess. But please don't pass any judgment untill I'm done. I'll even prove it to you."

"Alright. I trust you."

He smile at her then began again. "Everything you've read about me is a lie. I'm not from Philly and I was never a sniper. But I was in a war. I was born in Galway, Ireland. I was a...well as Spike put it a manwhore. Not long after my twenty ninth birthday my father kicked me out. Later that night I met a woman named Darla. She cornered me in a alley and killed me. I woke in my grave three days later. As a vampire."

"Booth this is insane! There's no such thing as vampires! If you didn't want to tell me about your past you could have said so you didn't have to make up such a ridiculus story!" She stood and was about to leave when Booth jumped up and grabbed her arm "Please Bones! It's not a story! I said I'd prove it to you and I will!"

"How the hell are you gonna do that Booth? Bring in a vampire?" She asked sarcasticly.

"Thats exactly what I'm gonna do. Spike! Get in here!" He yelled out. Spike sauntered into the room, Buffy behind him. "Spike, prove to her that I'm not crazy. Show her."

Spike looked back at Buffy and shrugged. Looking at Brennan he walked up to her and shifted into game face, his human mask melting way to reveal ridges, fangs and glowing yellow demonic eyes. Brennan backed away from him in shock, running into her desk. Spike let the vampiric visage melt away, his blue eyes returning and the fangs receding. "Do you believe me now Bones?" Booth asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Do you understand why I never told you anything about my life."

"Yes."

Now for the question that could possible break his heart "Do you think I'm a monster?"

She was quiet for a moment before answering. "No."


	4. The Demon with the face of an Angel

hints of past Spangelus as Booth tells his story

* * *

Booth slumped in relief. He didn't know what he would have do if she had said yes. He stiffened a second later. She didn't even know the whole story yet....."You might change your mind when I'm done." He sighed.

"There's more?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah. You could probably find most of it on the internet but I'd rather tell you myself....even if it makes you disgust me."

She didn't comment on that last part. Just sat beside him and waited.

"After I dug out of my grave, I saw Darla. She had been waiting for me. Beside her was a gravedigger, he was my first meal. She told me that I could do whatever I wanted, kill whoever I wanted. And I did. I hated my father, so I went to my home and got my little sister to invite me in. She called me an angel...then I killed her. My mother was next, she had come to see what all the noise was about. My father was in his study. He was terrified when I broke down the door. I taunted him and reminded him of all the timed he had called me weak..after all I had a vampires strength now. I drained him and left to slaughter the entire town." All of this was said flatly, with no emotions coloring Booth's voice. Brennan sat trying to comperhend what Booth was telling her. A side of him that was ten times worse than any killer they had put away.

"I sired four childer as a vampire. Three as Angelus. Penn was the first. I shaped him to be exactly like me. Drusilla was next. She had the ability to see the future. I followed her and taunted her. Made her believe her visions were from the devil. She was about to go into a convent when I struck. I killed her family in front of her. Then I broke her mind. When I finally turned her she was insane. Then in 1880 I met Spike. Or William as he was then. Vampires don't really care whether someones male or female when looking for a companion. And for some reason I was drawn to William. I cornered him in a alley on night, after he had had hid heart broken. I asked him if he would like to join me. He said yes and I turned him."

"Spike doesn't seem like he's evil." Brennan commented.

"He's not now. He was always different, driven to impress me. He got the name Spike for driving railroad spikes into the heads of the men who had tormented him as a human. The four of us spent twenty years together, they called us the Scourge of Europe. One night when we were in Romania Darla brought me a girl for my...well guess you could call it my deathday present. She was a gypsy. I of course tortured her then drained her. Her people were so furious when they found out what happened that they cursed me. They gave me back my soul."

"And this is when you stopped being Angelus?"

"I wasn't anybody. I wasn't Liam the drunken human or Angelus the Master Vampire." Booth hated reliving his past, but he knew Brennan needed to hear it. "I left the group, well Darla kicked me out really. I lived in sewers wracked with guilt over what I had done in a hundered years of being a vampire. A few years later I met them in China. Only Darla knew what had happened and Spike and Drusilla were overjoyed to see me. Spike especially. He had just killed a slayer. A girl that hunts vampires. He was only twenty years old and it should have been impossible but Spike had always been different. He wanted the appoval of his sire and I couldn't stand to be around him. Darla kicked me out again when I couldn't kill a innocent."

Brennan watched Booth withdarw into himself, scared that what he was telling her would cause her to leave him. She scooted over closer to him and laid a hand on his back, he looked at her in surprise, a little shocked that she would want to touch him after what he had just told her. "Booth...I'm not going to leave you, this is your past, it can't be changed. I stand by what I said earlier. Your not a monster."

He smile tentively at her. What did he do to deserve such a woman in his life? She smiled back then said "I'd really like to know how you became human."

He nodded and started again. "After about a hundred years of living in the sewers I was approached by a messenger of The Powers that Be. They're...well kinda like God I guess. He told me I could work toward my redemption. So I left the sewres, cleaned my self up and started going by the name Angel. I went to unnydale and started working with Buffy. I lost the soul after about a year because of a moment of perfect happiness. That was the loophole in the curse. A moment of perfect happiness. I did some horrible things then. When one of Buffy's friends recursed me I left Sunnydale and moved to LA. I met a girl that I had know from Sunnydale named Cordelia Chase. Over the years I gathered a group of friends. They're the ones Spike mentioned. Wes, Gunn, Fred, and Cordy."

"Who was Conner? Spike mentioned him too." Brennan couldn't believe what she was hearing. It sounded unbelievable, vampires and demons. But she had seen the fangs and ridges on Spike's face. And while a big part of her wanted to call the nearest insane asylum for Booth another part of her said that Booth would never lie to her like that, wouldn't make up such a ridiculous story.

"Conner....Conner was my son. He wasn't suppose to be born, he was part of a prophecy that we found. I didn't get to raise him. He was kidnapped and raised in a hell demension. When we got him back he was sixteen and full of hate for me. Tried to kill me several times. He snapped eventually, was ready to kill himself and several others. I made a deal with Wolfram and Hart to wipe his memories of me and give him a new life and family. I just had to take over the LA branch. I did and it was the worse mistake of my life. We were there a year before it all went to hell. Literally. I decided I wanted to them down. And my friends followed me. It got all of them killed. By the time the dust settled Spike and I were all that was left. The Powers made me human and Spike and I split ways. He went to Rome to be with Buffy and I was planted in a family. They gave me memories and a son. Parker genetically is mine but at the same time he isn't. They implanted me in the FBI and a few months later I met you." Booth watched her as she digested all he had told her. He hoped she didn't change her mind after hearing all his story.

Brennan sighed and looked at Booth "You know how crazy this sounds, but you showed me and you've never lied to me before. It'll take me some time to sort through everything but I believe you."

"And you still don't think I'm a monster?"

"Of course not Booth! It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, its the past. To me you're not Angel or Angelus, you're Seeley Booth, Special Agent and my partner."

Booth slumped in his seat, letting loose the breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Thank you Bones, you have no idea what that means to me."

Brennan smiled at him. "And this case? Its connected to your past?"

"Yeah, the woman was drained by a vamp. But we don't know why she was skinned or her organs are missing. Spike and I have never seen anything like it before. We're hoping Buffy might."

They were interruped from discussing anything more when Spike poked his head in the door. "The body's here."


	5. Talks of Torture and Green Keys

For the purpose of this story Angelus is Spike's sire. I don't really like Drusilla much anyway.....

* * *

Brennan was all business the moment she stepped onto the platform where her team and the woman's body waited. As she pulled on her gloves Angela approached her. "Who are those people Bren? They don't look like FBI to me."

"They're not, Booth brought them in to help on this case." Brennan said as she unzipped the body bag to start her examination.

"Who's the guy?" Brennan looked up from the corpse. She recognized that tone....

"Don't bother Angela, he's married and I think his wife is the possessive type."

Angela pouted "Well that sucks. Why are all the hot ones either gay or married? It's not fair!" She eyed the blond man, there was something dangerous about him, he put off a vibe that said 'Beware'. "Can you at least tell me his name?" She asked as she turned back to Brennan. Angela immediately turned away though. She had seen some pretty gruesome things in the time she had worked at the Jeffersonian, some worse than this one. But something about the body made Angela want to heave. Maybe it was because she still had a face....she wasn't use to them having faces still....

"You alright pet?" The British voice made her jump. As she looked up from the floor where she had been trying to control her stomach she was faced with the hunk she had been spying on a few minutes ago.

"Uh...yeah, the body...shocked me." She stuttered. The man was beyond hot. Ice blue eyes and cheekbones to kill for. And English to boot! "I'm Angela Montenegro, I reconstruct faces." She introduced herself. Thankfully without stuttering anymore.

He smiled and Angela's heart skipped "M'Spike, you don't look like a scientist, too pretty."

Was he flirting with her?? And where did he get the name Spike? Angela mentally fanned herself. What she would do to find out where that nickname came from!! The blond woman bounded up the stairs and smacked Spike upside the head. "Don't mind Spike, he flirts with everything that moves. I'm Buffy, its nice to meet you. "

"Nice to meet you too Buffy, I'm Angela." She snickered at the faux hurt look on Spike's face, lasting a few seconds before he childishly stuck his tongue out at her. When she just rolled her eyes at him he turned around and walked to the edge of the platform. "Hey Peaches! Get your fat arse up here and introduce us!"

Who was Peaches?

"Spike! Don't call me Peaches!" Booth growled out as he ascended the platform. When Angela giggled he turned and glared at her "Don't even think about it Angela, I barely put up with Spike calling me that." He called his squints to attention and quickly made introductions "Squints this is Buffy and Spike. They'll be helping us."

Booth strode over to Brennan and leaned over her shoulder. "Can they look at it? You never said yes or no."

Brennan sighed "I guess so. As long as they don't touch anything." Booth nodded and motioned Spike and Buffy over.

"What do you think, we know she was drained, but we can't explain the rest of it. Have either of you ever seen anything like this before?"

Spike pushed Booth out of his way and leaned over the body, pushing apart the flaps of skin that covered the empty torso. Looking up at Brennan he asked "How do you science types remove a piece of bone?"

Brennan grabbed a pair of what looked to Spike to be pliers and asked him what bone. He pointed at the rib he wanted and Brennan leaned down. The sound that came from her snapping the bone loose made Spike shiver and look away. Buffy looked at him in concern and he mouthed back "Hostile 17" She laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Buffy briefly wondered what exactly Riley Finn and the other soldiers had put Spike through but knew she would never ask and Spike would never tell her.

"Here, I don't know what you're looking for and I really don't like doing this." Brennan said as she handed Spike the bloody rib. He wiped the what blood remained off the bone until he could see what he had glimpsed earlier. There, along the inside of the bone were a line of runes carved neatly into it. Spike could sense the lingering feel of black magic coming from the runes and wondered what kind of spell had been done on the poor woman. "Peaches, you know anyone who can read this?" He asked as he showed the rib to Booth.

Booth shook his head "I use to but I can hardly remember any. I thought Dawn could read stuff like this, or Willow?"

"They both can, but Willow's in Brazil. I guess I could call Dawn, she's visiting Dad but I doubt she'll mind me cutting her vacation short." Buffy said. Booth nodded, he remembered the tense relationship the sisters had with their father.

As Buffy went to call Dawn Brennan approached him. "What does Hostile 17 mean?"

"What?!" Where the hell had she heard that?

"Spike mouthed it to Buffy as I was cutting the bone. He seemed disturbed by it."

"Bones...that's Spike story to tell if he wants too."

Brennan cocked her head at him "Do you think he would talk to me?"

Booth chuckled "I don't know Bones, Spike is pretty stubborn, of course you are too. If any one could get him to willing talk about that period of time it would probably be you."

"Whats that mean? Did something bad happen to him?" Brennan asked in concern. She found she liked the british vampire. Despit the fact he was a..well vampire.

Booth sighed "Yeah, something real bad happened to him." _And I didn't even try to help him....._After their talk, Booth found he was immensely guilty about ignoring Spike after he got chipped and then eventually souled. But maybe he could make it up to Spike after this case was over, when they did the blood bond.

Brennan nodded and wandered back to the body. There wasn't much more she could do until the bones were cleaned. She called Wendel over (oh how she missed Zach) "Clean the bones and when your done call me. There isn't anything else I can do with them untill then." Wendel nodded "Yes Dr. Brennan" and wheeled the body away.

She turned back to Booth to find he had wandered off in the direction Buffy left. Looking around, she found that the only person left on the platform was Spike. She was determined to find out what had caused his reation.

Spike looked up from the small peice of bone he was holding and mentally cringed at the look he saw in Brennan eyes. He knew that look, he had seen it enough times in Buffy or Dawn when they wanted to know something he would rather keep hidden. He stood straight as she came to stand in front of him, arms crossed and looking overall stubborn. He sighed "What do you wanna know?"

"Whats hostile 17 mean?"

Spike recoiled away from her in shock. How had she known that? Surely Booth hadn't said anything to her. Not that his sire knew much more than Buffy did, after all it was a time he did not want to dwell on. "Where the bloody hell did you hear that? Did Booth say somethin'?" He growled at her, he reeled his demon back, forcing his fangs to retract. But he couldn't stop his blue eyes from turning gold, he was too angry.

"You mouthed it to Buffy. I am quiet adept at lip reading."

"`Tis none of your buisness! Shouldn't ask personal questions like that!"

"Booth said you would be stubborn about the subject."

"Stubborn?? Would you tell a stranger `bout bein' tortured?" He sneered at her. This woman did not know what the word 'private' meant.

Brenna let loose a soft gasp "You were tortured?" She said quietly.

Spike sighed and slumped down against the railing. He had never told anyone of the horrors he'd been through, he hadn't wanted to deal with pity and he just dealt better with it alone, but maybe it would be good if he did, he didn't think pity was something this woman was familiar with anyway. "Yes."

"You can tell me, I won't tell. And Booth says I'm a good listener."

Spike smiled at her, maybe it was time to get some things off his chest........

* * *

While Spike was having his heart to heart with Brennan, Booth was watching Buffy and thinking. Spike seemed to know those runes had been there, but he had no memory of ever seeing anything like that, of course his blonde childe could have seen it during the hundered years he as Angel had been living in sewers.

"Are you brooding?" The question made Booth's head snap to the side where Buffy was standing with a smirk on her face.

"I don't brood!" He denied.

She chuckled "You're not that different you know, still helping the helpless, brooding, and pining over women you don't think you can have."

"I like being FBI, I do NOT brood, and I'm not pining over anyone."

"Sure, so the lost puppy look you use on Dr. Brennan means nothing then."

"I...She doesn't love me."

"And you know this how?"

"I just do, now what did Dawn say?" He said, steering Buffy's attention back to the case at hand, and away from his non existant love life. It wasn't any of her buisness anyway, how he felt about Bones.

"She's teleporting over here." At Booth's look of confusion Buffy elaborated "She tapped into her Key powers about a year aga, now she teleports everywhere."

Booth nodded "And she'll be able to translate the runes?"

"Yeah, she's pretty good at stuff like that. Of course she's in for a shock too, I didn't tell her you were here."

"Will it be a problem? The last time I saw Dawn she didn't really like me very much." He could vividly remember Buffy's little sister kicking him in the balls when she found out he had been the one that had given Buffy the amulet that led to Spike's dusting. The entire time they had remained in LA, Dawn was trying to extract vengence on him, Buffy had intervined only when she laced his hair gel with holy water, his scalp still itched at the thought.

"No she's over her Angel-bashing phase, pretty much forgot about it when Spike showed up, telling us how you had gotten you reward and that you had saved his life during the battle." That caused Booth to shudder, watching that demon attempt to cut Spike in half was one of the worse things he'd ever seen, and he'd seen alot. He had tackled the demon and beheaded it, seconds before it would have cut through Spike's spine. He wondered if Spike had told Buffy the details.

"Yeah."

Buffy smiled " I gotta go and get Dawn from the apartment, she should be there by now. I'll be back soon. Try and keep Spike out of trouble." She kissed him on the cheek and bounded away, calling to Spike before jogging out the doors and into the day.

Booth sighed and looked around. Spike and Brennan were engaged in a deep conversation and the squints had all got to their stations. Bored and alone, Booth wandered off, looking for something to occupy his time until he was needed.


	6. The Coming of Dawn

Dawn sat on the black leather couch of her sister's and Spike's apartment impatiently. She knew her sister was at the Jeffersonian and that it was across town, but what the hell was taking her so long! Not that she minded being called away from her 'vacation' with their father. Hank Summers had barely talked to her in the week she had been staying at his home in LA, instead spending his time between his cell and his secretary.

When Dawn had teleported into the living room, she had half expected someone to be there, seeing how overprotective Buffy and Spike were. But the place had been empty and Dawn didn't like to be kept waiting. Or out of the loop. She had peeked outside the door not long after she had gotten her balance back. The police tape over the door across the hall and the two cops standing guard had mad Dawn mad. Buffy could have at least told her they lived next door to the poor woman!

She was pulled from her thoughts when the front door was opened and her sister stomped in. "What happened?" Dawn asked as she took in the obviously angry form of her sister. It wasn't a wise thing to piss off a slayer and very few people got away with it.

"Damn cops tried to keep me from coming up! Said the agent in charge didn't want anyone contaminating anything. Then they didn't believe me when I said the agent in charge knew me and knew that I was coming. I hate cops. Hate them!" Buffy ranted as she threw her purse down and slumped angrily onto the couch.

"You know the agent?" Dawn didn't know Buffy even knew anyone in law enforcement.

Buffy looked sheepish. "Yeah, I probably should have told you this before."

Dawn crossed her arms and glared at her sister. "Who is he Buffy?"

"Its Angel. Only he doesn't go by Angel anymore."

Dawn gaped at her sister. Angel was in DC? And no one told her? As it reading her thoughts Buffy spoke up "We didn't even know he was here until Spike had to go down to the FBI building, Angel had to question him. He didn't know we were here either."

"And he isn't Angel anymore?"

"No the PTB gave him a whole knew life, his name is Seeley Booth, kinda weird but hey, mom named me Buffy." She quipped. "He was worried you still hated him, I told him you were over it. You are aren't you? Over it?"

"Yeah, he doesn't have to worry about me kicking him in the balls this time. It would probably hurt him worse now, being human."

The sisters giggled as they remembered the look of shock and pain on the souled vampire's face, granted, at the time neither of them laughed, both being distraught over Spike's death, but now it was funny, remembering how skinny human Dawn had taken down the champion of the PTB with one well aimed kick.

Their giggles died down and they girls returned to the matter at hand "Do you have the bone with you?" Dawn asked once they caught their breath.

"No, Seeley's partner, Dr. Brennan wouldn't let it leave the lab. When I left, she and Spike were bonding over it."

"Dr. Brennan? Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

"Yeah, why?" Why was Dawn so excited about Seeley's scientist?

"Not only is she a genius but she writes books too. That series Willow is so fascinated with."

"Oh."

"So are we going?" Dawn asked. She wanted to see the new and improved Angel and his famous partner.

Buffy smiled and laughed lightly at her sisters enthusiasm. "Come on brat." She said, hopping up from the couch and heading to the door. Dawn's indignant shout causing her to giggle.

* * *

It crawled on the dirt ceiling above the sacrifices heads. The two females below It trembled and whimpered in fear and It shuddered as the sweet smelling terror wafted through the cage. Its belly rumbled with the desire to consume these females, It had not eaten since the older female. It shivered as It recalled the terror and confusion when It had slithered into the small dwelling the females had lived in. The meal had not been as satisfying as It had hoped, the bitter taste of white magic clinging to the females skin and muscles, burning what passed for Its throat as It tore into the female.

Its glittering eyes stared at the sacrifices huddled next to each other and Its belly grumbled. Oh how It would love to consume these two! But Its Master had forbidden it, He needed the sacrificed in tact and while It loved a good meal, It loved Its life more.........

* * *

This is all I can write right now. School has started and I have no time what so ever! As soon as I have time to sit down and think about this story for more than five minutes I'll update with a bigger chapter. Sorry for the wait!!!


	7. Guilty Memories Come Undone

The fact that Spike was completely silent worried Booth. He had been watching the blond vampire after his talk with Brennan and he could only remember one other time when Spike had been this silent. That had been when Buffy was dead. Booth could remember watching Spike from the shadows, braving the sunlight to get as close to Buffy's grave as possible, going so far as to dash into the light to quickly lay flowers on the Slayer's grave, burning himself badly in the process. Dawn had later informed him that Spike had almost starved to death, not coming out of his crypt for almost two weeks. It had been the one time Angel had payed any attention to his childe, coming to Sunnydale and feeding Spike, who had been so far gone he had no memory of the encounter. Angel had not wanted to feed Spike, but Dawn had guilt tripped him so bad that his soul had twinged when he refused the last time. Angel had never told Spike, afraid that he would hold it over his head, but Booth was seriously considering telling him, now that they were in a better place than they had ever been.

Booth walked over to the platform where Spike was standing staring at the floor and laid a hand on his shoulder. Spike looked up and a small smile flitted across his face.

"M'okay, just thinkin'."

"Last time you thought that hard, you turned to dust inside the hellmouth."

"Not contenplatin' suicide mate, thinkin' 'bout the Initative."

Booth frowned. That was a word that rarely left Spike's mouth, that and the number seventeen. Had that been what his childe and partner were talking so seriously about? Could Brennan have gotten the blond vampire to talk about a time that even his wife didn't know about?

As if knowing where his thoughts were going Spike said "She's stubborn."

Booth snorted "You have no idea."

Spike chuckled. "Never told anyone. Just pushed it back, felt good to get it out." He looked up at Booth with a smirk "Can see why you want her."

Booth spluttered and Spike laughed, tapping his nose once. Booth blushed and growled "Damn you Spike." Then sighed and hung his head " I love her."

"And that's a bad thing?" Spike asked

"She believes that love is a chemical reaction in your brain. That's all." He glanced at Spike "Why do I always fall for women I can't have?"

"That ain't true mate, you had Buffy, maybe you weren't there but you had her. And the Cheerleader loved you, wasn't anyones fault that she died. And your Doctor? She feels somethin' for you, she lights up when you're mentioned."

"Really?" Booth couldn't imagine Bones lighting up for anyone, except maybe Russ.

Spike nodded "Smiles and gets really happy lookin' `cept when I said somethin' `bout you gettin `urt, then she flinches like you hit `er."

Booth chucked darkly "She seen me almost die too many times to not react."

Spike looked alarmed "Wot do you mean by that?" Booth wasn't immortal anymore, what was he doing gettin' himself hurt that bad?"

"I'm a FBI agent Spike, I get shot at almost twice a week. I've lost count of how many times I've been shot, blown up, tortured in the past four years. The hospital knows me by my first name now." At the panicked look on Spike's face Booth added "I've only been seriously hurt about six times."

"If I didn't think you'd stake me after, I'd consider revampin' you."

"Buffy'd stake you for it."

"Not if I told her how many hospital visits you've had, your Doc would prolly agree with me."

"I'd agree with you on what?" Brennan asked as she stepped off the platform.

"Revampin' Booth to keep `im outta trouble."

"Would it keep him alive and in one piece?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're correct, I would agree with you." With that she walked off, leaving Spike smirking and Booth gaping in surprise.

"I like `er."

* * *

Dawn stepped into the Jeffersonian in awe. She had been to DC numerous times to visit Spike and Buffy but not once had she seen the museum. Knowing that a human Angel worked with the one famous person she ever wanted to see made this visit so much better. She followed Buffy through the hallways and into the lab part of the building. The chrome colored lab was huge and Dawn had to quicken her pace to keep up with Buffy.

Buffy stopped when she saw Spike appear from a corner of the platform followed by a man Dawn assumed was Angel. He glanced at Dawn and gave her a small smile "Hello Dawn."

"Hi Angel."

"I go by Booth now, or Seeley. Do you still hate me?"

Dawn smiled "No, I never really hated you, I just needed someone to take my anger out on. You happened to be in the way."

Booth chuckled and pulled her into a quick hug. "That mean you're not gonna be kicking me anytime soon?"

Dawn laughed and squeezed him "Yep." She backed out of the hug and beamed up at him. "So where's the bone?"

"My partner has it, she's in her office." Booth said as he guided them around the platform and to Brennan's office.

Brennan was sitting at her desk, staring into her computer screen when they came in. Booth propped himself on the corner of her desk and poked her in the shoulder. "Bones, Dawn is here. We need the bone."

Brennan looked up at the new young woman in her office, wedged between Buffy and Spike. "You're Dawn?"

The girl smiled at her "Dawn Summers at your service."

"How old are you? You don't look old enough to have the linguistics experience needed to know Runes."

"Old enough." She didn't know how much Dr. Brennan knew and she wasn't gonna be the one who opened that can of worms. "Can I have the bone? I promise not to hurt it."

Booth chuckled at the pout that graced his partners mouth. She did not like giving her bones up. The pout lingered even after the section of rib was handed to Dawn, Bones watching the girl like a hawk, hesitant to let it out of her site. He could still see confusion and doubt in her cerulean eyes, and knew that even though she believed him, it was hard for her to accept everything like this. Maybe he should talk to her again...Booth was jerked from his thoughts when Buffy gasped and turned to him.

"The twins! What happened to the girls?"

"There were no sign of them, I've had agents out looking for them since Spike told me about them. Anna and Abby, right?"

"Yeah, They're identical twins. I watched them when Tanya worked, hardly ever talked but when they did they were finishing each others sentences." Buffy looked to be near tears at the thought of the girls and Dawn abandoned the bone and pulled her into a hug.

"Tanya, that was her name?" Booth asked

"Yeah, didn't you already know that?"

"She had no ID on her and the apartment was under the name Daniel Serban. Actually there was nothing in the apartment that had her name on it."

"Daniel is the girls father, he's romanian and went back after things didn't work out between them. He pays for the apartment and the girls tuition."

Booth shuddered as the memory of other Romanians flitted through his mind. But he couldn't dwell on that now. "Why was the apartment so bare?"

It was Spike that answered "She was part Wicca, part gypsy. I could smell it on her. They tend to be neat and compact. And she prolly couldn't afford much."

'Great' Booth thought 'My past just loves biting me in the ass.' "There was something off about that apartment, something...dark."

Dawn spoke up from her position on the couch, not once looking up from the bone as she spoke. "I can't completely translate this but I can tell you its the product of Black magic, darker than anything we've seen before. That's what you felt Booth, the leftovers of this spell."

"Are we gonna need Willow? or the Coven?" Buffy asked

"I think Willow would be a good idea."

* * *

Booth followed Brennan as they made their way out of her office. Dodging interns and security Booth found her sitting on one of the benches. "You okay Bones?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

"I don't know. I told you it would take some time for me to process all of this, but magic? There's no such thing as magic."

"Three hours ago you would have said the same about vampires." He reminded her. "I know what you're going through, I've watched friends go through it. People who had no idea what went on after the sun set suddenly thrust into a world that could kill them with a look. I've seen the knowledge give some power and I've seen it break them completely. Magic is much easier to believe in than vampires and demons."

Brennan sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder "What was it like? Going from a vampire to a human?"

"Well it really wasn't that big of a adjustment for me, I'd been living like a human for years. Besides the sudden lack of blood lust and the ability to go out in the sun without going up in flames it wasn't that different. Yeah I had a beating heart for the first time in two hundred and fifty years and I could die a lot easier, but after I got the soul I hated being a vampire, fighting back the blood lust and ignoring constant taunts from my demon was slowly driving me insane. And watching everyone I knew and loved age and die wasn't too pleasant either."

"Who was Cordy? You mentioned her before."

"Cordelia....Cordy was my connection to the world. She was my seer, had visions of people in trouble that I was suppose to help. But she was human and the visions weren't made for humans, they were killing her. She chose to become part demon so she could stay my seer, but she was tricked and the aftermath ended with her death." He hadn't thought of Cordelia in so long, the mere mention of her name made him want to cry. He may have been in love with the woman beside him but Cordelia had brought him back from the edge too many time. He owed her his life.

"You loved her didn't you?" Brennan asked softly. She might not have been good at reading people but the look of pain on Booth's face told her all she needed to know.

"I did. And she loved me, but fate had other plans for us." He said vaguely. He'd never tell Bones the exact details about that year, some things were best left forgotten. He squeezed his eyes shut, keeping the unwanted tears at bay. He wasn't gonna cry in front of Bones, his pride wouldn't let him.

But Brennan saw through his attempt. She shifted her position and pulled him into a hug, running her fingers soothingly through his hair and down his back. "Booth, I'm not good at this, but I'm here for you, always." He shuddered and buried his face in her neck, letting the tears fall. He had never grieved for his friends, instead throwing everything he had into his new life in an effort to forget. So he sat here, on a metal bench in the middle of the Jeffersonian, wrapped in his partners comforting embrace and cried. He cried for Cordelia, for Wes, Fred and Gunn. He cried for Conner and for the people he couldn't save. And he cried for himself, for the vampire turned human who only wanted one thing out of his life, to fix his mistakes and make things right, even when they weren't his fault.

* * *

I was feeling kinda angsty, hence the ending. Some Brennan comfort for our guilt wracked FBI agent.


	8. The FBI Agent that Purred

Brennan held him until the tears subsided and he shuddered under her arms. "You okay Booth?" She asked quietly when didn't move like she had expected him too.

"I'm fine, I just....don't want to move." He mumbled into her shoulder. Brennan smiled slightly. It was usually the other way around, with Booth comforting her, she could count on one hand how many times she had seen him vulnerable. She was startled out of her thoughts by a rumbling coming from his chest. Her fingers stopped the unconscious stroking through his hair and to her surprise and amusement the rumbling stopped. Slowly she started scratching again and had to hold back a giggle when a contented smile crossed his face and the rumbling started. "Booth, you're purring!"

"Left over vamp thing." He mumbled, arching his head into her fingers. "Means I'm comfy and I really really like that."

Brennan giggled, a sound Booth had never heard from his partner, and continued to scratch and run her fingers through his hair. He really did like that. Buffy had done it after his return from hell, and Cordy had when he had been severely injuried or the soul became too much for him. It had been over four years since he'd been comforted like this and the fact it was his closed off partner made it even better. A yawn escaped his mouth, causing another quiet giggle and he reluctantly pulled away. "Better stop before I decide to take a nap on you." He said with a smile as he stood up and discreatly wiped away the tear tracks. Booth knew that Spike would be able to smell them but knew the blonde would say nothing.

"When was the last time you had a good nights sleep?" A concerned Brennnan asked him. She knew he sometimes would forgo sleep for a case, usually catching a nap on her office couch, but now that she looked close at him she could tell it had been quiet a few days since Booth had gotten more than a few hours of sleep.

Booth shrugged, it wasn't his fault the nightmares kept him up sometimes. Besides, he really didn't need that much sleep anyway. At the icy glare Brennan gave him he sighed "I can't remember. I have a hard time sleeping at home." It was too lonely. He'd always had someone close, or could hear the heartbeat of the person closest, even if that was in a different building. It was one thing human he hadn't gotten use too yet.

Brennan softened her glare when she saw the all too familiar look of loneliness in his dark eyes before it was hidden away behind a mask of happiness. An idea floated around her head, one her brain knew was logically a good one but her heart was hesentant to try. " You need sleep Booth, it isn't good for you."

"What do you suggest Bones? That I get a hotel room?" He asked sarcasticly.

"Stay with me."

Booth froze. Surely he couldn't have heard that right? Did Bones really just invite him to sleep at her apartment? He knew it would be the best night sleep he'd ever get. "Um, Bones? You don't have a guest room."

"I know, but you're a gentleman Booth, I can trust you."

He ducked his head and smiled "Thanks Bones."

* * *

Really short chapter but I had too much homework and not enough time


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